Now that Black Panther resolved his feud with Bucky Barnes during Captain America: Civil War, the Wakandan ruler is gearing up to lead his own movie next year. Black Panther casting reports have steadily trickled in ever since last year's San Diego Comic-Con, and today, Marvel officially announced who would comprise the movie's main cast. Most of the names had already been publicly revealed in some for or fashion, but there were a few surprises, including Andy Serkis reprising Ulysses Klaue, and well as confirmation that T'Challa's father, T'Chaka, will appear.
After debuting in the MCU alongside Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War, John Kani will reprise T'Chaka next year in Black Panther. Given that T'Chaka was killed when Helmut Zemo bombed the United Nations gathering in Vienna, we can obviously rule out a present day appearance from him, leaving flashbacks and hallucinations/dreams as the ways he'll appear. I'm leaning towards the former, as it's likely we'll see what Wakanda under T'Chaka's rule was like before the events of Captain America: Civil War. Now that T'Challa is the one sitting in the throne, he'll presumably think back to when his father was king and try to follow his example.
It's also worth mentioning that last week, John Kani's son, Atandwa Kani, posted on Instagram that he and his father were in Atlanta, Georgia to shoot a project; the same city where Black Panther is currently shooting. Coincidence? I think not. Atandwa Kani wasn't mentioned in the casting announcement, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was playing an even younger T'Chaka. Remember, it's been reported that Black Panther will contain a flashback scene set in the early 1990s. If that happens, given that Wakanda's king also serves as the Black Panther, maybe we could see T'Chaka kicking ass as the feline-themed warrior, decades before his son inherits the mantle.
John Kani is just one of the many talented actors who have been added to the Black Panther cast. Besides Chadwick Boseman and Andy Serkis, his co-stars include Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Sterling K. Brown, Florence Kasumba, Winston Duke and Martin Freeman. Kasumba and Freema both also appeared in Captain America: Civil War as Ayo and Everett Ross, respectively, but because most of Black Panther's action is expected to take place in Wakanda, there will be a lot of new faces to meet. Black Panther will follow T'Challa learning the ropes of leading his technologically-advanced country, but when an "old enemy" reappears, he'll be drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk.
Directed by Creed's Ryan Coogler, Black Panther charges into theaters on February 16, 2018.
